|   what does OEM mean?(nm) | 996
Feb 19, 2002 7:55 AM | | nm |
| Original Equipment Manufacturer (nm) | BlargleSnart
Feb 19, 2002 8:00 AM | | |
| which means... | toad
Feb 19, 2002 8:22 AM | | the original components/parts specified by the manufacturer. For example; TREK specifies that Bontrager Race Light cranks are to be sold on the Fuel 100. If somebody goes and puts Coda/Raceface/Truvativ/etc.. cranks on their Fuel 100 they have just put non-OEM parts onto their bike. Even if you were to buy a Bontrager Race Light crankset from a mail-order catalog it may not be exactly what TREK had specified in terms of materials or manufacturing processes. A good example of this is the Panaracer Fire XC tire. The OEM tire that comes on bikes from the manufacturer has a 127tpi casing and cost about $40.00. But you can buy the same "Fire XC" tire for $15.00 from mail order catalogs. However this cheaper tire has only 60tpi and may have a different rubber compound. This is not a OEM tire. |
| confusion | Ed H.
Feb 19, 2002 8:32 AM | | Actually, Panaracer made OEM tires to two different specifications--one at 127 tpi and another at 60 tpi. The 60 tpi was supposed to be OEM only for low- and middle-spec bicycles, but ended up at the mail order houses anyway.
The 127 tpi tire was meant for the aftermarket as well OEM. |
| you've sorta got that 100% backwards... | Bianchi4Me
Feb 19, 2002 1:21 PM | | Your implication that OEM parts are the superior model is the exact opposite of what you commonly see. Usually, the non-oem, "aftermarket" edition of a part is the best model. On the OEM part, they often use the same name, but cut corners everywhere they can.
Sometimes this is not a functional difference. For example, the aftermarket version of a Shimano part comes in a fancy box with instructions, the OEM version come in a plastic bag or shrink-wrapped onto cardboard, sometimes with instructions, sometimes without. Still, you are getting the smae part either way.
Othertimes, the OEM part is definitely inferior to the aftermarket version. A very common example is on OEM forks. They frequently substitue a steel (heavier, cheaper) steerer tube, whereas the aftermarket version uses aluminum alloy. It's something a customer can't see, which is where the product managers love to cut corners.
Handlebars, stems, and seatposts are also sometime manufactured to different spec as OEM parts, but use the same name as the aftermarket version. The OEM version is sometimes a lot heavier, because they used a cheaper alloy that requires extra thickness, or just decided to beef up the part to reduce warrantee issues.
Tires are another major area where OEM parts are inferior. The 66tpi Panaracer casing you mentioned is actually from an OEM version of the tire. Some companies may spec the aftermarket 127tpi version on their high-end bikes, but the reason the 66tpi version exists is to give manufacturers a cheaper option. A lot of wirebead tires are also primarily designed to be OEM parts, whereas the kevlar version is the aftermarket part.
That's why it pays to ask a lot of questions when buying an OEM part. |
| what are some examples of OEM?(nm) | 996
Feb 19, 2002 8:04 AM | | nm |
| shimano cables not aztec,etc. | mongoose valiant
Feb 19, 2002 11:02 AM | | or ford motorcraft parts & not napa,standard,borg-warner,etc. |
| Basically..... | Flyer
Feb 19, 2002 8:05 AM | | It is a term which means that a manufacter puts his name on a product, however they really didn't produce it....having licensed production to another company. Best example is Race Face Prodigy cranks. They say RaceFace....but RaceFace subcontracted the production to another company, so in essense...they didn't build them, but are using their name to sell them. Most companies who do this do have quality controls in place to audit and ensure that the producer meets standards set forth in the agreement.
It is commonly done with TV's, major appliances, cars, and a host of other items (including bicycles). Honda had an SUV that had honda plastered all over the outside....but the entire vehicle was made by Isuzu....which is what you saw on the engine when you opened the hood. It was in fact the Isuzu Rodeo, with a Honda name on it. |
| No | Ed H.
Feb 19, 2002 8:26 AM | | OEM just means that a supplier produced parts that went onto a final product. So, on a mass produced bicycle, Continental may supply the tires, Shimano the drivetrain, Answer/Manitou the fork. They all go on a Trek bicycle that is on the showroom floor. Therefore, Continental, Shimano and Answer/Manitou are all OEM's for Trek.
Aftermarket Parts compliment the OEM's. Continental, Shimano, and Answer/Manitou also sell parts to the public. They are also aftermarket manufacturers.
And much to people's annoyance, OEM parts may be made to different specifications than their aftermarket counterparts (e.g., Supergo selling OEM 80mm Dukes that are OEM leftovers). |
| Hmmm I don't agree | Flyer
Feb 19, 2002 8:32 AM | | Funny....I work for a Fortune 100 company who uses...and supplies OEM parts. OEM in our industry means parts produced to the specs of the customer....not standard stuff. Read the post above by the other poster. If GoodRich puts Eagle tires on a corvette...and those exact same tires are available at the local tire store....those ARE NOT OEM parts!!! If the tires are DIFFERENT in spec from what you get at the tire store....they are OEM. Check the RS Duke fork on a Raleigh bike....it does not have a rebound adjust system.....you can't buy that fork from your local bike store.....although price point and others may have gotten a supply of them...that is an OEM part. |
| Just because it's OEM spec doesn't mean it's different... | Metroid
Feb 19, 2002 8:58 AM | | from it's aftermarket equivalent. Shimano is an excellent example. They supply OEM parts for every bicycle company but you can buy the exact same parts aftermarket. An XTR rear derailleur is an XTR rear derailleur whether Specialized buys 1000 for their high end line or you LBS buys one to put on your bike. Avid is another example. They have their their products spec'ed by price point: SD3, SD5, SD7, SD Ti, Ultimate. Everyone buys the same product though.
There are however plenty of examples of the aftermarket parts being different, especailly when it comes to forks and tires.
OEM means that it was spec'ed on a bike (or car in some of your examples). Those three letters don't give you any more information than that. It could be the same as aftermarket or it is equally possible that it may be different, you don't know. It does raise a red flag to start asking A LOT of questions to find out exactly what you are getting. |
| I think Ed H. & Metroid are right on... | næstep
Feb 19, 2002 9:13 AM | | Take the Avid examples. SuperGo sold some OEM Avid discs that were the same as retail, but didn't include any adapters. Presume a frame manufacturer ordered them this way because they were to be installed on Manitou forks and didn't require adapters. That plus the bulk packaging saves them more money.
Same situation for a Arch Rival I once bought from Cambria: Same brake as retail, non-retail packaging, didn't include the 135° noodle.
OEM forks might come with precut steerers, different crowns than retail, or in different colors. Then again, they may be the exact same product as retail, but not in retail packaging.
næstep |
| The Shimano OEM stuff IS a different product due to packaging. | Bianchi4Me
Feb 19, 2002 1:32 PM | | The OEM stuff from Shimano is considered to be a different product (at least by Shimano), because the packaging is different. The aftermarket stuff comes in the fancy boxes with instructions. The OEM product is put in a plastic bag, or shrinkwrapped onto a cardboard backing. Sometimes they include instructions, sometimes not. About the only practical difference is that the OEM stuff in plastic bags can arrive a little bit nicked up from rattling around together in the case. I guess they figure on a whole bike folks aren't gonna notice a tiny ding on a hub or crankset. |
| Nope ... | Philber
Feb 19, 2002 9:15 AM | | You're talking about private brand labelling. That's when manufacturers will put another company's labels on their products. OEM actually means quite the opposite - "Original" Equipment Manufacturer. It means that the equipment was made by the company whose label is on it, not a different company.
As everyone else has said, OEM parts may or may not be the same as the same company's aftermarket parts. Personally, I think that companies who produce OEM stuff with different specs than their aftermarket stuff are parties to consumer fraud. For example, when Panaracer makes Fire XC Pro's in two different versions (60 tpi for the OEM stuff and 127 tpi for the aftermarket stuff), or Rock Shox makes two versions of the same fork (steel steerer on the OEM, alloy on the aftermarket), those companies, along with the companies making and selling the bikes, are really just trying to dupe the unknowing customer into thinking that they're getting something they're not.
There is no practical way for the customer to know that they're not getting the "real" version of the product, as all references to make and model are exactly the same. To me, that's just out and out fraud. Pricepoint, apparently belonging to the same ethics club, buys surplus OEM stuff and sells it as aftermarket, without telling customers that it's OEM. This is particularly evil, because customers would normally assume, unless told otherwise, that parts being sold aftermarket would indeed be aftermarket (and not OEM) parts.
I have asked Pricepoint (and other mail order companies) if a particular part is OEM or not. I have got answers ranging from "Heck, I dunno" to blatant lies. Hell, I think it was Pricepoint that was even selling badly damaged Bonty Mustang rims and calling them ASYM's, when in fact they clearly weren't asym's.
The moral of this story: caveat emptor. |
| Not quite right... | REM
Feb 19, 2002 9:47 AM | | That last post wasn't quite right. The method of manufacture has nothing to do with it. The fact is that many manufacturers subcontract for lots of different things, including their retail product.
OEM products, or version of products, are products that supplied to OEM's (Original Equipment Manufacturers), in this case bike companies. Many OEM products are identical to the retail version, just packaged differently (no box etc.). In come cases, manufacturers may alter the product to meet a pricepoint or spec set by the bicycle manufacturer i.e. putting a steel steer tube on a fork to save some money, or painting it a special colour. |
| another take | Ken2
Feb 19, 2002 11:24 AM | | What these posts miss is the real implication (and frequently the actuality) that an OEM part is inferior to its aftermarket "equivalent," i.e. the company that specs the OEM part has to request certain changes/mods to save $$$ and meet whatever price point they are shooting for. And the further implication (not always true) that discounters like Jenson, PricePoint, and Supergo don't make full disclosure of any differences between aftermarket and OEM but instead just lump everything together. |
| Yes, definitely! | Ventanarama
Feb 19, 2002 1:56 PM | | I agree, it's VERY important to specify the difference, especially when there are physical differences and not just different packaging. One of the wholesale suplliers I use sells lots of OEM packaged stuff but luckily they are very good about specifying it. I frequently buy the OEM packaged stuff to save $, paper and reduce shipping cost, but only when it's the exact same product as the non-OEM version.
Larry Mettler
www.mtnhighcyclery.com |
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